Starz Animation: Scheduling an Animated Fantasy Epic

In an industry known for being incredibly imaginative and innovative, as well as
intensely deadline-driven, Starz Animation Toronto needs a solution that enables
it to keep multiple projects on schedule and prepare for the unanticipated changes
that occur throughout the creative production process. Starz Animation Toronto found
the right tool in AEC Software's FastTrack Schedule.

Proactive Planning is Key

As Canada's leading digital animation studio, Starz Animation Toronto works with
major Hollywood and independent studios; having produced several popular animated
features, including "9" for Focus Features, Tim Burton, and Timur
Bekmambetov; and "Gnomeo and Juliet" for Miramax and Rocket Pictures.
FastTrack Schedule played an invaluable part in the success of both digital films.

Terry Dale is Starz's Vice President of Operations, responsible for overseeing the
studio's technology development and animation production teams – ensuring
both entities are working together on projects effectively and efficiently.

“Our internal technology systems allow us to see what is happening with our
projects on a day-to-day basis, but in a deadline-driven industry where things are
always changing, this just isn't enough,” said Dale. “We need a way
to stay ahead. Rather than being reactive to shifts in resources, schedules and
workload, we want to be proactive – plan for the unexpected and be confident
in our ability to handle such a situation successfully, should it arise.”

Frustration-Free with FastTrack Schedule

In its search for a project management solution to meet this need, Starz Animation
Toronto initially invested in a system that couldn't meet the studio's needs.

Noting that the studio “wasted a lot of time” with a popular project
management program that was too big and cumbersome, Dale says, “We needed
a tool that could provide a clear birds-eye view of our ongoing projects, quickly
communicate schedules and resources, and most importantly, allow us to look ahead
and predict possible scenarios in the future.”

A member of Terry's team had used AEC Software’s FastTrack Schedule before,
and recommended he take a look at the software.

“I immediately realized FastTrack Schedule is a lot easier, and is more task
and detail-oriented than other project management solutions I explored,” said
Dale. “And FastTrack Schedule is extremely cost-effective. I was excited about
what we saw, so we bought several licenses, got it up and running in a couple of
days and since then have left all of our previous project management frustrations
behind.”

Transforming ‘What-Ifs’ into Project Plans

Dale and his team at Starz Animation Toronto use FastTrack Schedule in the pre-planning
stages of a project, to ensure the studio has the capacity to complete the work
before making any commitments to prospective clients.

“Now using FastTrack Schedule, we input real-time information into a Gantt
chart and then add data to create ‘what-if’ situations. This allows
us to visualize what will happen if we take on another project and how we can fit
it in without creating a production nightmare,” said Dale. “It's easy,
quick and exactly what we need to be more accurate and confident in our scheduling
decisions. Additionally, we can export and print those ‘what-if’ scenario
charts and project plans as colorful PDF presentations and share them with whoever
needs to see exactly what is going on.”

As production on a project begins, Dale and his team continue to rely on FastTrack
Schedule's traditional project management capabilities of planning, tracking and
reporting project goals to manage the team's deliverable dates.

FastTrack Schedule was key to the success of the animated fantasy epic "9",
from Focus Features. Unlike other productions in the past that typically span up
to two years, Starz Animation Toronto worked on a compressed time schedule for the
movie. Faced with a lot to do in a very short period of time, FastTrack Schedule
helps the team meet its deadlines, particularly important in the final stages of
the project when the last images are being rendered. Mistakes in the finishing phases
of production are devastating to animation productions teams.

“The animation industry is a very creative industry – we work with people
who have big ideas, imaginative spirits and artistic breakthroughs that may arise
at any minute. In a state of constant change, shifting priorities and varying schedules,
FastTrack Schedule enables us to be flexible to our customers’ requests and
quick to make adjustments,” explains Dale. “And FastTrack Schedule's
presentation capabilities allow us to communicate those changes across departments
as well as to the client directly.”

“For one of our current projects, the in-house producer saw what we were doing
with FastTrack Schedule and requested the same ability to manage and monitor the
project, and to create predictions with possible ‘what-if’ scenarios,”
said Dale. “By providing a new level of transparency, we are able to build
a new level of trust with our clients.”

Current Success Leading to Future Opportunities
In short, Dale said, Starz Animation Toronto has been very pleased with FastTrack
Schedule and the team at AEC Software.

“The people at AEC Software have been great to work with. Whenever we've had
a question, they've responded immediately with resourceful answers,” Dale
said. “We look forward to working with them to explore new ways we can use
FastTrack Schedule at Starz.”